With the days inching towards the release of Perpetual Power’s new world. Named Perpetuity. Sorp’s group still had things to deal with.
Sorp’s domain was massive profit. Something all of them and their employees could live of. But it wasn’t enough to buy the sixth device.
With Sorp’s fame, his fights began paying more. He also did other promotional work for various companies, most of which related to athleticism. Some fashion.
This additional income allowed them to reach the great expense of five devices. Lacking only a three fourths.
It would be no issue to borrow the rest, seeing as Sorp could prove his income was high enough. There should be no problems.
However, it turned out that their worries were for naught. Perpetual Power had already decided to gift Sorp with a device.
This was something they hadn’t informed Sorp of. It can also be seen as a ploy for free advertisement. The ‘gift’ did come with some conditions.
These conditions made things obvious. Sorp was to announce on all platforms that he was going to enter the world officially. There was more it but that was the gist.
Perpetual Power had a scheme in mind. They were going to rile up the world, to hype them up for the release.
The week before the launch date various celebrities began expressing their intentions on entering the world. Many showing videos or pictures of them with the devices.
Every day a new celebrities would come out and do the same thing. This included Sorp. On Kom’s instructions, Sorp was wearing practical fighting gear.
With the sixth device taken care of. They had a lot of money left over. This was a lot of money.
After a blurry celebrations. One of the most vile and debauched events they had ever spawned. Fueled by cash, fans and their moral deficiencies.
Expenses were great but the remainder was still a sizable sum. This sum went into making sure their families were taken care of.
They rented apartments from Perpetual Power where they would enter the devices. And moved their family into better housing.
The housing wasn’t great. But the neighbourhood was outside the Ring. This change was already impressive. To be able to crawl your way out of the ring is no small feet.
Their previous building in the ring remained as a headquarters for their business Instances. Only Sorp domain raked in any considerable profit but all the guys had set up their own little business within it.
Once Sorp and the guys became busy with the new world, their business would have to be delegated to others. All their employees were shameless people picked up from the street.
They all lived in the old apartment building. Most of their time was spent in the virtual world, where they could escape from their bodies.
The week before the release, Perpetual Power had release some introductory information. This included a brief explanation on B.F.M.
People would enter the world according to language preferences. A natural translator was in the game but people still prefered the fluid speech of their natural tongue.
When things like proverbs were translated they could be off. This discrepancy had been mostly eradicated but thing like names, both of locations and people, caused issues.
Majority of the world already speaks at least one of four languages, but there are still nations clutching to their old ways. This can’t be helped.
The amount of people entering the game on launch is supposed to be one quarter of the world.
This number is already staggering. It won't be until later when the prices of the devices come down that this number will slowly expand.
Even with this many people, majority will spawn relatively close to each other. In one corner of the world.
This place is called Perpetuity. It is filled with virtual humans. A never before seen number of Virtual humans. Even without the influx of real people, it looks lively.
To distinguish a virtual human from a normal one isn’t impossible, but can be considered difficult. This is intentional.
Virtual humans are aware of what they are. And they will feel pain just like normal humans. They will feel the entire spectrum emotions.
They will even procreate. They will find a spark for adventure or set up a family. The longer they live the harder it is to distinguish them from a real person.
Experiences in life will make them fuller, just like any normal person. Virtual humans spawned as adults won’t be the same as those that are born into this world.
Perpetuity, the city, is a regulated area. In it, rules are in place. This city will always be in possession of a virtual human.
Outside of Perpetuity, people will be able to make their own villages and towns. They’ll be able to settle down and live of farming the land.
A key factor to this world is the lack of advanced technology. Everyone will still have palm devices used as universal computer.
They can watch their favorite entertainment on it. Read books. They will be able to play games on it. But advanced weaponry in the form of technology will not appear.
The virtual world, outside of the city Perpetuity can be considered unregulated. Perpetual Power can still intervene and fix things that might ruin the world. But this is for edge cases.
What this means is that People will have to explore the world of Perpetuity. They’ll have to create settlements, if they wish to live outside the city walls.
As humans expand their territory, so will the virtual humans. Virtual humans treat this life as their only life and will be more reserved.
They will build settlements. They will create walls to protect themselves. And it is the hope that normal humans will participate in this as well.
There will always be those that treat it entirely as a game and go exploring. They will be forced to change their minds when they meet failure and experience the very real pain.
When they have their bones broken or feel the teeth of a wild animal taking bites out of them, while they whimper on the ground begging for death.
When they feel a sense of helplessness they have never felt before. They’ll have to face the reality of the situation. Maybe they’ll continue or quit entirely. But they won’t call it ‘just a game’.
For most, investing into this game, is everything they have. They’ll be able to experience it before buying it and the only thing that makes sense is to enter this virtual world.
One of the biggest concern about long term ingame time or ‘deep dives’ as they are called. The concern is about their real physical body.
It’s easy to understand that food can be fed to them intravenously. But what the problem is, is their body decaying. It is about atrophy.
The solution to this was surprisingly simple. They used old tech. Tech that was usually considered frivolous.
Perpetual power now has the ability to power just about anything. This included things like nano machines.
They can even power them wirelessly from the devices. Ninety percent plus of the energy is lost in the process, but Perpetual power can still easily sustain this use.
With nano machines, not only will people continue feeling healthy but if a person exercises in the virtual world, the nanomachines will mimic the process in the real world.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
With time dilation, any competitive athlete will have to use this method or fall behind.
Nano machines cannot be considered magic, and there are limitations to their abilities. But changing the body incrementally is no issue.
Other side affects of using the virtual environment, mainly concerning the B.F.M. as it trains previously thought unused area of the brain.
Unused is perhaps dishonest, it could be considered wasted though. Only now seeing proper use.
This use affects the person using this part of their brain. Perpetual Power has experimented with this for years and no real life applications could be found.
Certainly there have been improvements. Such as increased reflexes, faster thinking. And general improvement in how many things people can process using their senses.
This was all information not willfully given. But if one digs deep enough. Vague references could be found. Whether people could defer any meaning from it is another matter.
On the day of the launch. Sorp and his friends all spawned relatively close to each other. Their avatars the same as in real life. Only under a microscope is it possible to see a difference.
Knowing each other names they all quickly gathered. They set up party. When in a party, if they were within a certain distance of each other, their location could be seen on the map.
In the world of Perpetuity there are no classes. People are what they wear. Items created or found are actually B.F.M. devices.
They all have some instructions. But this world really does not have a distinct path to follow. There are no levels to increase, or attributes to allocate.
What the Perpetual Power offered is a world. In the end it is not supposed to be a mere game. It’s supposed to be a replacement for their other world.
It is a pretentious statement. But Perpetuity is indeed much more than just a game. The right perspective is to look at as an alternative dimensions, with similar rules.
The boys were gathered in a noisy place that served baked goods. They were discussing what they should do.
In Perpetuity, a person is restricted in many ways. The body will crave food and water. They’ll have to continue doing going to the toilet.
In the end, this meant that any person that left the borders of Perpetuity would have to be self sufficient. Meaning gather their own food.
Prolonged thirst, starvation, or any other normal physical requirements, including sleep, will all have negative consequences if they aren’t satisfied.
Without proper preparation, a person will find themselves suffering in the wilderness, risking death through various means.
On death a person can revive in various locations. This costs Vcoin, and the cost can fluctuate depending on multiple factors. Distance from revival point, the bodies physical state and more.
In addition to this. A person will leave behind a temporary body. This body can interacted with, namely, stripped of any valuables.
Only thing a person retains is a personal inventory and their Vcoin balance, aside from a small amount that can be looted.
Depending on the situation, the most dangerous factor while inside Perpetuity, is other humans. There are still terrifying animals that might play with you until death.
One of the greatest difference between a virtual creatures and humans is that humans can use the B.F.M.
To counter this, Perpetual Power has replicated its capabilities. After all it doesn’t matter to virtual humans or beasts that it doesn’t feel natural.
Inside Perpetuity, people are not safe. But there are rules. The problem is that rules have to be enforced by the inhabitants of Perpetuity.
One of the greatest reassurances of safety is that Perpetuity has great surveillance. This is to put up to make sure that the judge of crimes is not in the hands of Perpetual Power.
The intent is to have the world govern itself. But they require substantial means to do so versus immortal humans.
They not only punish people with incarceration, but may also inflict torture. This depends on the severity of the crime.
People entering the virtual world Perpetuity, have all signed an agreement with Perpetual Power. In it, it states that broken laws can be punished to this degree.
There are ways to alleviate crimes, one can turn themselves in or hunt other wanted criminals. There are also opportunities to provide meritorious services.
Meritorious services are usually in the form of saving other people. This is not something done at random and only works when the government of Perpetuity issues requests for help.
Once a person is captured, all data recorded of them is fetched and checked for further infractions. Such infractions include mundane traffic laws or a code of conduct.
These infractions serve to increase the time spent in jail or the fine they are required pay. Once a person is jailed, they cannot log out.
This time can be long. It can be short. It is possible for outsiders to shorten this period by providing meritorious services or hunting other people with warrants on their heads.
Great surveillance does not mean perfect. It is possible to own personal housing, where privacy is respected. Private housing in the city is considered expensive.
For vast majority of people, housing in Perpetuity will be a place to sleep. These places can be considered near free. They do not possess the same privacy and personal housing.
Public housing is guarded and infractions heavily punished. There is always the option of logging out and sleeping in real life, for those that are paranoid.
This sounds counter productive to Perpetual Powers goals, but their thoughts are on the greater picture. Subtle manipulation tactics. A stick to eek people to move out of the city Perpetuity.
Perpetuity is also ruled by virtual humans. Their actions, in a vacuum, are predictable. But once foreign elements in the form of real humans is introduced.
Once the world is tainted by the presence of humans, it becomes impossible for even Perpetual Power to produced reliable predictions of the future.
Having ‘free will’, the virtual humans might become corrupt. This could lead to a more hostile city. This could lead to another reason why people should make plans for the larger world.
This can be a terrifying thought. Because it requires people to create new houses. Assuming they don’t take shelter in natural environment, like caves.
Once people begin exploring how things work in this world they’ll find that the crafting system is very in depth. It is also prone to changes.
As Perpetual Power can’t expect people to build houses from scratch there will be a mechanic to facilitate this. Without it, exploring the outside world would fail miserably.
Changes can occur if Perpetual Power decides something is too good. Maybe something is missing and needs to be added into the system. The world is living and requires adjustments.
Sorp and the guys are now discussing how to proceed.
Right of the bat Ret wanted to create another arena. This was received well. Dart explained why this wasn’t a good idea until later.
Instead, Dart wanted them to focus on the B.F.M. Perpetual Power had advertised it well and a lot of people were excited for it. Problem was, it didn’t produce Vcoin.
But Dart saw further than that. He understood that B.F.M. was the future. Anyone that wanted to have a presences in Perpetuity would have to master it.
Dart isn’t the smartest in the group, but he did possess more knowledge than the rest of them. His suggestion had merits and eventually the others gave up on their grand ideas.
There are a few requirements to get a B.F.M. and it was through an assignment. People would speak to a army lieutenant. He would send them off to some mission outside of Perpetuity.
He would assign them basic B.F.M. tool without augmentations. Augmentations are items fitted into a B.F.M. device.
Once the Augments are installed, they will grant affects unique to the Augment. This can be a variety of things, for example, two fireballs instead of one.
Augments can increase the difficulty of controlling a B.F.M. but this varies from person to person and from Augment to Augment.
Some simple Augments do simple things like increase damage or speed. Increase in damage has negligible effect on the user’s difficulty, while speed can make things difficult if they want to change the direction of a B.F.M. controlled object.
The group walk towards this previously mentioned lieutenant's location. It is unsurprising that the streets are filled with people going in every direction.
“Too crowded, where can all these people be going?”
“Who knows?”
“I still don’t understand this Brute Force Method.”
“What’s there to understand? It’s to cast spells!”
“Oh that’s all it is?”
“No you idiots. Dart, tell them.”
“It is technology developed by Perpetual Power.”
“We know that.”
“Shut up, I don’t care what you know and don’t know.”
“Tsch.”
“It was created to be a second limb. Like an extra hand if you lost one.”
Dart couldn’t help but pause, he expected them to comment something stupid. But saw they were still listening.
“They later created a superior way to create a limb and abandoned the Brute Force Method.”
The reason they could talk in such a busy environment was because they were in a party. It is possible to increase the volume of a party member and make it more distinct.
“The Brute Force method was then developed into a way to control objects. Imagine telekinetic powers.”
“Like mutants?”
Mutants are a breed of people that have seen their genetics, their DNA altered in a way that they gain supernatural powers. This is a common theme in entertainment.
“Exactly like mutants. They used this technology and combined it with the virtual world to create a combat system.”
It was obvious from their looks that they were excited. Who of them hadn’t imagined themselves as some kind of super human. Everyone, except for Sorp.
Sorp was listening to this intently. He had some questions but didn’t say anything. Usually Dart or Kom would explain things eventually.
“In the manual they talk about Augments. Something you use to change how the B.F.M. Works.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure about this. There is little information about it. We only know you can increase damage and speed.”
Having spoken to this point, Dart was intrigued again and tried to dig up information about Augments. Sometimes one had to talk about what they know to know what they didn’t know.
The vicinity around the lieutenant is swarming with people. Every type of person forming a crowd.
It was at this point that even their party voice channel was overwhelmed. They resorted to using the chat system.
Sorp wasn’t going to wait in orderly que, and even less in this chaotic disorder. Every step he took he pushed against the crowd. His large hands land on their heads.
The sensation of a hand encompassing their head felt new. Not a good kind of new, its was a type of helplessness.
This feeling only hit them when they saw the hand it was attached to. It wasn’t until later that they felt cheated. How could a person be this big? Was this a pay to win feature?
Sorp was followed by his very enthusiastic friends. They loved this sensation. They could look at others with disdain. Their expression filled with pride.
The crowd would overwhelm them in a second, but their first response was awe. Sorp really was big. Along with Sorp, there was Dart, who was equally tall.
Only difference is that Dart was usually hunched over, appearing a bit smaller. But his posture gave of a creepy feeling.
Anger was one thing. This was like watching a new species of humans. Tall people aren’t too rare, but they are rare enough that the normal person doesn’t interact too much with them.
Sorp was already three fourths of the way through before the people at the back realized what was happening. Only then they began cursing, which was drowned out by the crowd
The next person in line was teetering. He was one of the first thousands to get the assignment. He couldn’t stand still and was his hands were tapping on his legs.
When Sorp picked him up and moved him to the side he nearly spasmed. It was fast and disorienting. Suddenly he was turned towards the crowd.
He had a blank look on this face. Only after a moment passed did he look back to his former position. He saw a group of people grinning, looking around with a mocking expression.
Never his entire life had he felt such injustice. His anger was at a peak. He was so angry it overshadowed any reason.
He cursed and charged. This wasn’t a small man. He wasn’t skinny. But he could be considered fragile compared to Sorp.
Sorp saw this. He reached out and grabbed his neck and lifted him up. Sorp liked the feeling. He looked towards the crowd and screamed.
The crowd was loud. There were people trying to scream over each other constantly. But suddenly a shout caused the crowd to go quiet.
To call it a shout wasn’t right. This as the bellow of a beast. They all had their eyes on Sorp. He got a better grip on the man.
The guy was squirming but wasn't able to shake loose. Soon he felt lighter. He was watching people from above. He didn’t even scream. This wasn't right.
The crowd went into a buzz and were now even louder than before. People affected by the throw were furious but most were laughing or screaming something.
To many people, this was the moment they realized this wasn’t like a normal game. Someone could just come along and throw them like it was nothing?
Sorp felt a satisfied. In Sorp’s head, that little man was challenging him. Once the challenge was clear, Sorp had to act.
Sorps friends enjoyed this this most. This wasn’t the first time they had seen Sorp throw a grown man. But that didn't make it any less fun.
Even when Sorp was younger, he had acted in this way. The smallest of things were challenges to Sorp. So often he would come down on people like an avalanche.